She couldn’t miss. 6-5 center’s perfect game carries Boise to 5A state semifinals
Boise’s 6-5 senior center Ashley Banks normally dominates with her size, strength and presence in the paint.
But the Southern Utah signee showcased a different side Thursday, using her fine shooting touch to pour in 18 points and lead the Brave to a 52-38 rout of Post Falls in the first round of the 5A girls basketball state tournament at the Ford Idaho Center.
Banks didn’t miss a shot all afternoon, finishing 7-for-7 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. She did the bulk of her work in the lane, but she also stepped out and drained a smooth 15-footer when the Trojans’ defense sagged.
“We all know what Ash can do,” Boise senior Ava Oakland said. “We’ve seen her do it. We see her do it every day in practice. So for her to go out there and do what we all know she can do is amazing and super fun to watch.”
Banks was shooting 55% from the field and 71% from the free-throw line entering the state tournament. She took it to another level to help Boise erase the memories of first-round losses each of the past two seasons.
“She just had tremendous focus,” Boise coach Kim Brydges said. “I think last year in the state tournament, it was kind of up and down in terms of her play and her consistency. But I thought she did a much better job getting the ball where she needs to get it, just a little bit higher on the block.”
Boise fell into an early 7-4 hole, but the Brave broke out of it with an 11-0 run that included back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers from freshman Avery Patricco (one) and senior Ella Nelson (two).
Boise never trailed again.
Teams normally struggle in their first game at the Idaho Center, adjusting to the cavernous backdrop. Boise had no such issues, finishing the game 21-for-44 (47.8%) from the floor.
“You’ve just got some veteran players that have been there before,” Brydges said. “Unfortunately, we’ve stubbed our toe in the first-round game quite a few times, and we ended up playing for a trophy, but it’s a consolation trophy. So it’s nice to be able to advance. That’s all you want to do right now.”
Banks had plenty of help from her fellow seniors as Boise ran away with Thursday’s win. Oakland finished 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Nelson had 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.
The senior trio accounted for 46 of Boise’s 52 points.
“That’s a big deal,” Banks said. “That’s what we’re all about. We’re all best friends, so it’s awesome for us to get to that semifinal.”
Fourth-seeded Boise will face top-seeded Lake City (21-3) in the 5A semifinals at 5 p.m. Friday at the Idaho Center.
Post Falls drops into the consolation bracket, where it faces Rocky Mountain (12-14) at noon at Mountain View.
This story was originally published February 17, 2022 at 4:29 PM.
